Save Article

Will the Next Election Be Hacked?

Online voting is on the rise, but experts see it as a nightmare for the integrity of the electoral process

By

Michael Agresta

Aug. 17, 2012 6:37 p.m. ET

Two years ago, hackers gained access to an online voting system created by the District of Columbia and altered every ballot on behalf of their own preferred candidates. On the "Thank You!" page that ran at the end of the voting protocol, they left their trademark—the University of Michigan fight song.

The online voting system was real, intended for use that November, but the compromised election, fortunately, was just a mock-up for testing security. The infiltrators were a team of graduate students led by University...